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10 questions you should ask your recruitment agency

As the UK economy continues to grow there are a greater number of vacancies and there is also an increasing number of recruitment agencies who would like to supply you with candidates for these vacancies.

So how can you differentiate between these agencies and how do you know which ones are good and which are the time wasters. If you have not dealt with a particular agency you should be prepared to screen them by asking a number of pertinent questions which will give you confidence that they can source the ideal candidate for you.

These include:

Which industry does your agency work in and what job disciplines do you recruit?

By getting this information you can ensure that you are dealing with companies who recruit in your industry and for the type of roles you require.

What experience does the recruitment consultant have in my industry?

Does the consultant have the knowledge of the industry and roles to be able to support you effectively in the recruitment program? If so you will be able to get smaller but effective shortlists of candidates.

Is your organisation a member of a professional recruitment body?

In the UK there are a number of professional bodies which ensure that recruitment agencies work to a high standard. These police the agencies and include:

Recruitment and Employment Confederation

Association of Professional Staffing Companies

What is your candidate attraction methodology?

This will give you an idea as to the amount of candidate the recruitment agency should have on their database and the suitability of the candidates. You will also be able to ascertain whether they will proactively source candidates for you.

What screening process do you use?

This ensures that all candidates have their qualifications checked, are eligible to work in the UK, have their ID and have relevant references checked.

What selection process do you use?

Remember there is a difference. You want to know how the recruiter is going to select appropriate candidates for you. How are they going to interview the candidates and what is their selection criteria for your roles.

Do you possess a clear equality and diversity policy?

By finding this out you can ensure that your recruiter is totally inclusive and meets all legal and regulatory requirements.

Will your consultants visit our site and how many consultants are working on the roles?

This will enable you to find out how dedicated the recruiter is to filling your roles and also it is best just to have two main contacts to support your campaigns.

Can you provide testimonials from your clients?

Make sure you get some of these as they will give you confidence in your recruitment agency.

What are your Terms of Business

Ensure that all contractual issues are sorted before you start working together.

To ensure that you recruit the ideal candidate it is vital that you work in partnership with a recruitment agency which you trust and you know have the expertise to source suitable candidates. By spending some time sourcing suitable agencies you will be able to build a long term strategic partnership which will make your recruitment campaigns much more successful and a lot less stressful.